http://www.thebsp.org/blog Where it's all about Bluebirds and other Nest Cavity Birds accross Pennsylvania and Elsewhere Sun, 18 Apr 2010 15:10:36 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Mark your calendars to plan to attend the 2011 13th Annual Bluebird Society of Pennsylvania Conference on April 1 and 2,  next year at the Penn Stater Hotel, 215 Innovation Boulevard  State College, Pa. 16803  More Information will be forth coming. Penn Stater Hotel Website -  http://www.pshs.psu.edu/pennstater/pshome.asp http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2010/04/14/2011-13th-annual-bsp-conference/ 2010 Annual Bluebird Society of PA Conference Penn Stater Hotel – 215 Innovation Boulevard, Penn State Pa. 16803 http://www.pshs.psu.edu/pennstater/pshome.asp Bird and nature fans are invited to join members of the Bluebird Society of PA for Annual Bluebird Society of PA Conference on March 19 and 20, 2010 at the Penn Stater Hotel, State ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2010/03/09/bsp-2010-annual-bluebird-conference/ If you ground up a blue feather from a bluebird you would get a gray brown powder. Bluebird feathers have no pigment. Blue is a structural color coming from unique cell layers overlying the feathers when sunlight hit the layers the color blue is reflected.  No feathers have blue pigment, ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2009/12/14/blue-feathers-not-really-blue-at-all/ [caption id="attachment_222" align="alignleft" width="146" caption="Holiday Inn Harrisburg/Hershey located in Grantville, PA"][/caption] Wow! What a Conference it was, I had an awesome time, each day was packed with tours, and speakers,great food,and parties in the evening. Auctions, raffles and awards,meetings,swimming,and much more. I arrived on Wednesday and stayed 4 nights. I met ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2009/09/24/nabsbsp-conference/ Just submitted my annual nest box report. Monitored 29 boxes, 16 bb nests, 60 bb eggs, but only 13 fledged! Had a terrible time with HOSPs, with lots of eggs stolen/abandoned. I trapped and killed about 60 HOSPs, strung monofilament line by the entrance holes and put ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2009/08/24/my-annual-nestbox-report/ You will not want to miss the 2009 BSP/NABS Bluebird Conference held at the Holiday Inn-Hershey located in Grantville, Pa. This is open to the public and the Bluebird Society of Pennsylvania will be hosting this awesome event.  September 9th thur 13th, we have the days and evenings loaded with ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2009/07/29/2009-bluebird-conference/ I have had a bluebird house in my back yard for the past 2 yrs with no activity. This spring I gave up and let sparrows nest and raise a brood. Last week while mowing I noticed a male Bluebird sitting on top of the house battling with the sparrow. ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2009/07/12/what-is-going-on-at-my-house/ Is it worth putting up a couple of bluebird boxes near route 83? They'd only be about 50 yards from the road as the crow flies, but they'd be down a steep bank with quite a few trees on it. So there's constant road noise, but it's not deafening ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2009/07/07/are-bluebirds-bothered-by-road-noise/ One of my babies is fledging but sitting on the grass for hours. I'm concerned about the neighborhood cats. I put him back in the box last night but he's out again. Should I do anything or let nature take its course. Papa is checking on him. dannybluebird http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2009/06/22/fledging/ What is going on? This is the second time now that I have a nest, but then the Bluebirds don't nest there. The first nest was a half hearted effort, but this nest was a beautiful nest with a nice cup. I even saw the female come in at ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2009/06/20/bluebird-fanatic-part-iv/ My Momma and Poppa Blue have laid their first egg in their second nest in the same box.  I'm still riddled with sparrow problems -- not one has gone in the repeating ground trap.  But it seems as long as the sparrows have "their" boxes they'll leave the bluebirds to ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2009/06/15/second-nesting/ Guess what everybody???? I have a female feverishly building a nest now for 3 days in one of MY nesting boxes in MY yard. I was almost afraid to look inside the box last night to see how far she got because of the first incident I had ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2009/06/11/bluebird-fanatic-part-iii/ Hi Everyone!  I live in Southern Lancaster County and just discovered blue birding as a hobby this year. I'm the ex-ignoramus who fed cheap bird food and didn't know the difference between a sparrow and a swallow last year :-(   But I've been learning and had a bluebird house ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2009/05/23/182/ I found  baby bluebirds dead on the ground and nest not disturbed, female not around but male still sits on house daily. Shall I remove the nest so he flys away to get another mate. This is so pathetic to watch him sit there. I have a wren nest ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2009/05/22/bluebird-blues/ I get very frustrated over the general population concerning feeding house sparrows.  I know that I used to be one of them when it came to House Sparrows. I just didn't know. I fed them all winter long on bread crumbs and cheapo Wal-Mart bird seed. ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2009/04/22/my-friends-dont-understand/ Guess What???? I now have a formed BB nest in my box. I am so excited!!!! I went out & checked a few days ago expecting to find the same sparce nesting material on the bottom of the box, but instead when I opened it up I ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2009/04/21/bluebird-fanatic-part-ii/ I tried this homemade recipe for the first time this year and our bluebirds love it. It was developed by someone at the University of Minnesota (I think) who did a lot of experimenting.  Peanut hearts are available at Agway.  We rendered our own suet as describe below. ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2009/04/14/bluebird-banquet-recipe/ Hi! I'm new to this site, and fairly new to Mercersburg, PA. in Franklin County.  I made contact with Joyce Stuff last Summer, at which time she gave me some bluebird boxes to put up.  This Winter, I've been seeing lots of bluebirds, which prompted me to put up a ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2009/04/14/bluebird-food-preferences/ I'm not sure exactly how to blog, but I was checking out the bsp site so I thought why not. I have a completed nest in a Gilbertson nest box I installed last year  in a park near my house.  Last year I had chickadees in it but ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2009/04/14/first-time-landlord/ Hi Everybody, This is only my second year with BSP, but am enjoying it tremendously.  Last year I got my boxes up too late to get a Bluebirds to nest, so I kept them up all winter, and made sure they were clean and ready to go in the spring.  I ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2009/04/14/bluebird-fanatic/ I had a male bluebird arrive early as February 23rd and now I have a pair of bluebirds today March 4, 2009. Both are going in and out of the nest box and really giving it a close inspection. Both looked very healthy and looked to be mature birds. I ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2009/03/04/the-bluebirds-are-back/ This morning, 02/05/09 I was visited by a beautiful Red Belly Woodpecker. Though it has a glow of red on its belly its the head that stands out.  Against the snow covered yard and a bright sunny morning this woodpecker stood out. Its head was a fiery red and the ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2009/02/05/visited-by-a-red-belly-woodpecker-by-hary-schmeider/ House Sparrows are the most common problem blue-birder’s have. This invasive species introduce in the 1800’s has become the most abundant song bird in North America. Do to the fact it bonds with the nest box and will defend it aggressively, we must find a way to deal with it. ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2008/12/17/how-i-became-an-ambassador-for-the-bluebirds/ Was thrilled last Friday morning about 8:30 a.m. to see 2 males and 1 female BB checking out a bluebird nest box in the front yard. Not sure if they were roosting in the box overnight. I hastily put out some special food with fruit and berries. Had to leave ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2008/12/17/bluebirds-during-all-seasons/ When ever you see a bluebird it brings happiness, if you want to experience these beautiful birds, place a nestbox designed for bluebirds on a pole in your yard and experience the mystery of the joy that they bring.  I recommend reading about bluebirds first, then approach this wonderful world ... http://www.thebsp.org/blog/2008/12/08/3/